Christmas Eve Table

I trust everyone had a Merry Christmas with loved ones!   My family gets together for Christmas at our house on Christmas Eve.  I like Christmas Eve because it is cozy with the fire going and the lighted decorations.   We no longer exchange gifts, but pool "gift" money...we each choose a charity close to our hearts and randomly select one to receive the gift money.

Christmas Eve dinner!

The table set for four

Top view to show JUST how crooked everything really was!

I removed the soup bowl and underplate so you can see the Christopher Radko salad plate...I thought they blended well together

I know there are beautiful new color schemes for Christmas,

but I am VERY traditional and

still love red and green the very best!

I love the way the dishes layer. 

The centerpiece is made of  roses, carnations., pine, boxwood,

baby's breath, and REAL holly (very prickly!!)

This is my Damask Rose sterling...I don't have a lot of it, so I fill in with other silverplate patterns.  The placemat is part of a set given to us by my husband's cousin.  I LOVE these

With such a huge guest list of four, we definitely needed place cards and holders! ;-)

Our dining room looks into the living room.  It always looks so much bigger in photos!

Dessert was set up on the buffet...Lots of home-made goodies and plenty of chocolate!!!

So warm and tempting...

We popped our Christmas crackers...

A tradition that my English hubby brought to us...

we have been doing this since we've been back in my home city

My sister L. (no feathers tonight!)  She ALWAYS puts on her crown.  My sister P. won't so we don't have a silly crown pic of her!

This is what was going on in the living room during dinner!!  Prime sleeping real estate!

The fire was going and the lights were lit...

This is the thing that sold me on our house and believe me, it gets a work out all winter!

Well...that's it!  Dinner was delicious (if I do say so myself!).  We had cream of spinach soup, salad, pork roast, roasted potatoes, green beans, peas, italian greens, rolls and those sweet desserts!  

I hope you all had a warm and wonderful Christmas and have a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

Tess

Now for the dish on the dishes:

• Christmas china is by Gibson from Winterthur catalog AGES ago
• Christopher Radko salad plates-ebay
• Damask Rose and contrasting silverplate "fill-in" pieces-ebay
• Waterford Marquis "Brookside" iced beverage glasses-TJ Max
• Tablecloth-Linens'n'Things (when they had actual stores)
• Red hemstitched napkins-on line (don't know what company)
• Holly and berry napkin rings (the berries are little jingle bells!!)-ebay
• Table runner and placemats-my DH's cousin sent to us from England last year
• Ornament place card holders-ebay

I can't wait to see all of the lovely tables on Susan's blog "Between Naps on the Porch".  Visit her by clicking on the icon up on the right!

Thank you for stopping by...I love reading your comments and knowing that you were here!!

Annual Christmas Outing

My sisters and I have an annual tradition (for about 5 years, but traditions have to start somewhere!!)...we go to a local Christmas tree farm to buy wreaths.  I have an artificial tree because they make me break out when I touch them and the real wreath adds a bit of fresh pine scent to the house. 

So we always start with breakfast at a favorite little restaurant.  Though I am linking with Tablescape Thursday, the only tablescapes in this post are the background of the restaurant and a peek at last year's Christmas table since I will be using elements of that table for this year's table.  

Last year, I took a picture of them playing with the restaurant's decorations and this year I looked up and saw P. with yellow broken reading glasses and L. had a feather in her hair!!  I started laughing so hard and of course, we all got hysterical!  It always happens when we are together!

This is the place where we get our wreaths...this is the first  year we didn't have snow!! : - (

 This is the huge barn with rows and rows of beautiful fresh trees!

 Another view...

 We chose our wreaths from this wall...they already have bows and holly berries but you can dress them up however you want!!

 Looking into this area, there are lots of wreaths that are decorated beautifully and ready to buy

 

Okay...here they are!!!  P. has her glasses with the missing arm and L. has feathers on the right side of her head!!   I noticed both things at once and just lost it!!!  Then we all started...like we always do!

Now to make this a "legit" Tablescape Thursday post, I've included a couple of photos of last year's table.  There will be changes made for this year...Hope you stop back to see it!

 

I can't believe Christmas is just a few days away!!  I hope everyone is done with what has to be done and that you enjoy Christmas with family and friends.  Be sure to stop by Susan's blog "Between Naps on the Porch"  Just click on the link up on the right...The tables will be an inspiration!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

                                                                Tess

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is over and we are hurtling headlong toward Christmas!  I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving.  There were so many beautiful tables and warm sentiments posted that I'm sure you did!

Our family is very small.  There were just four of us for dinner.  I don't know how you ladies with HUGE guest lists do it all!!  We did have a wonderful meal and family time.  My husband is from England so Thanksgiving was new to him when he first came here, but even though it's not a traditional holiday for him...he enjoys it!

So here is our quiet Thanksgiving for four...

I love autumnal colors and mixed as many as I could ... lots of rust, orange, red, brown, and yellow

I love the little turkeys (there is one on the other side)...my mother had turkey candles that looked just like this.  We didn't ever burn them...they were decorative and appeared on the table year to year.  I also love the leaf-shaped butter dish.  It's really a jam dish from my mother-in-law.  

Dinnerware for all the courses...square soup bowl and underplate, salad plate and dinner plate.  I found oak leaf place card holders and made place cards on the computer.  I know...there were only four of us, but I think they are so pretty.  Dinner was butternut squash soup, tossed salad, and the usual turkey and gravy, dressing, sweet and mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, peas, homemade cranberry sauce, rolls and desserts!!!  Sound familiar? ;-)

I guess my "leaf motif" is pretty obvious!  Not a very good picture of the maple leaf napkin rings, but they are so autumnal...I've seen some beautiful leaf plates on several tablescapes this holiday and love them all!!  The flowers I picked up at the grocery store when shopping for dinner

Desserts were served from the buffet...Unfortunately, the other two desserts were in the refridgerator so it looks a little bare.  This is the apple pie but we also had pumpkin pie and a chocolate trifle.  My hubby loves whipped cream so we had home-made whipped cream to go with the pies (or by itself for whipped cream lovers!!!)

Pssst...by the way, I don't know if you noticed the placemats. I really do have four matching placemats and went crazy looking for the fourth one.  I could NOT find it so I mixed two patterns in the same color family.  Not ideal, but I think it worked out fine!

Sorry the pics aren't better...it seems that photos always happen at the last minute!!  I have to really spend some time working on my blog...but I am so busy with our new computer system at work and the holidays coming that it won't happen for a while!

Now for the dish on the dishes:

• Dinner plates are Royal Albert "English Garden"
• Salad plates are from Big Lots
• Square soup bowls are Temp-tations "Old World" cranberry with Wedgwood underplates
• Hemstitched orange napkins, napkins rings, and place card holders are from different vendors on  ebay
• Butter dish, again, from England (thanks to my mother-in-law)
• Placemats (both styles) are from TJ Maxx
• Yellow leaf plates were a find at TJ Maxx and there were only four of them
• Square floral dessert plates from TJ Maxx
• All of the crystal is Waterford Marquis in the Brookfield pattern from TJ Maxx
• The silverplate is a variety of companies and patterns

Thank you all for stopping by...I hope you enjoyed our small Thanksgiving.  Be sure to hop over to Between Naps where Susan is hosting Tablescape Thursday...she hosts an great party(her link is above right)

Autumn Dinner

Saturday, we had guests for dinner.  My sister Lynne and friend Diane came for a "comfort food" autumn dinner.  I love this time of year and set the table for the season. (I took photos in a hurry so they are worse than usual!!!).  I never seem to get pics of the food either :-(

It was just the four of us so we left the leaf out of the table

A closer look at the place setting...

  

The leaf serves as the bread plate (you can see the chandelier reflected on the table!)

A white dinner plate, black toile salad plate, and a casual footed soup bowl

Leaf bordered place cards in fall colors

The table is "small-ish" so the only centerpiece is a cute ivory pumpkin and candles that match the bread plates

Our dining room is open to the living room so you HAVE to have 

a cozy fire with a comfort food dinner!

Dinner was definitely comfort food.  We started with homemade chicken veggie soup.  Then we had salad and rolls.  Main course was pot roast (with chicken cooked with it-I don't eat red meat), mashed potatoes (my husband's specialty), fresh green beans, and peas (the only green veggie he eats!).  For dessert we had a chocolate trifle made with chocolate cake,, chocolate pudding, and fresh whipped cream.  For you purists, there is no fruit or liqueur because DH doesn't eat fruit either.   It was a relaxed and  leisurely dinner and we had a wonderful time!  

Now for the dish on the dishes:

• The paisley dinner plates are from TJM...I bought two several weeks ago and was mad at myself for not getting more.  I happened to be in there last week and there were still two there!!!! Yippee!!!
• The black toile salad plates are also TJM
• Ditto the leaf plates...they are from last year and there were only four.  Wish there had been more.
• The place mats are from Linens & Things several years ago.
• The paisley napkins are Ralph Lauren (also at TJM).  I have matching placemats-stay tuned!
• Silverplate flatware is an ebay find
• The pumpkin is from TJM last year...love that color!
• The crystal is Waterford Marquis.  Wine glasses are from my friend Joanne and I then purchased the waterglasses myself

Thank you for stopping by to see my autumn tablescape.  Thanks again to Susan at "Between Naps on the Porch".  If you didn't get here from there, be sure to click on her button up on the right and see amazing tablescapes!!!

Tess

Autumn Is Here!!

Well...it has been quite a while since I last posted.  Work has been crazy busy and since I spend my work day at  my computer, I just haven't wanted to add more hours of computer time to my day.  I HAVE been visiting TT, though...to see everyone's beautiful and ambitious tablescapes!!   I found some white paisley dishes at TJM which seemed a good inspiration.

SO, I've decided to jump back in, especially since it's AUTUMN.  I love this time of year...the weather is cooler and the air smells wonderful. The trees put on their magnificent show for us!!  I am always drawn to those trees whose leaves change to scarlet.  I love red and those always thrill me the most.  But the yellows and oranges are beautiful and add to the gorgeous fall pallette.  So, with that in mind, I am going with autumnal colors.  The weather is cooling here in NYS and we will be able to have a fire this weekend.  I am definitely NOT a summer girl!

This is the paisley plate that I found.  Unfortunately, I only bought two...something I am sure I will regret in the future.  I love white embossed dishes and  I have a four Royal Albert "Old English Garden".  I figured that I could mix and match them all together.

Next comes a red salad plate...

...And a floral underplate for a soup bowl

A clear soup bowl allows the beautiful pattern to show through...

Layered plates...

The whole place setting...guess I better think about cooking!!

And who is busier in the fall but squirrels stocking up for winter.  This cute nutcracker was given to me by my mother-in-law who lives in England.   He is sitting in front of another fall favorite...a big orange pumpkin!

Put a nut in his paws and use his tail to crack it!  I don't have an unshelled nuts right now.  Poor little guy!

Now for the dish on the dishes:

• White plates are a new purchases from T.J. Maxx (again, wish I had gotten more than two!)
• Red salad plates from Big Lots
• Square floral plates last year from TJM
• Glass bowls from Walmart years ago (also wish I had more)
• Placemats also from TJM
• Gold napkins from Linens 'N Things (miss that store)
• Napkin rings-Oneida silverplate
• Silverplate flatware-Oneida Vanessa/Francesca
• Ceramic pumkin-TJM
• Cake plate under the pumpkin is Royal Albert "Old English Garden" from Marshalls eons ago in Chicago
• My cute squirrel nutcracker is from my mother-in-law in England
• Glasses are Waterford Marquis "Brookside" I believe made in Germany
  
  
  I am so happy to be back to TT.  Thank you for stopping by!!!! I look forward to reading your comments and knowing you were here.  Be sure to visit "Between Naps on the Porch" (button up on the right) and see Susan's beautiful work and all of those gorgeous tables posted there!

Happy Birthday!

I'm probably a little old for getting excited about birthdays but I just had a wonderful "50-something" birthday on June 23rd.   Our family celebrates our birthdays with dinner out and then usually cake and ice cream at our house.   So I picked the restaurant and away we went.  Dinner was delicious, as always, at a wonderful restaurant...then back for cake.

"Old Country Roses" is my favorite pattern of all of the dishes I have.  So I set up dessert with these.  We didn't need much in the way of silverware.  No one wanted anything hot to drink so there were just cold beverage glasses.  The flowers were given to me by my co-workers.  My boss got flowers too.  Her birthday is just two days before mine!

Here is a little closer view.  The napkins are pale pink damask but it doesn't show very well.

The buffet held the wonderful coconut birthday cake, which was delicious!!!  I put "Old Country Roses" plates on the silver tea tray but didn't really have any reason to use, it's just so pretty!  

 Here's a closer look.  The cream and sugar is there in case anyone wanted coffee or tea. but alas, no takers!

I received just great birthday gifts...a "squirrel proof" birdfeeder from my sister P and her roomie S.  I've been watching the birds eating and a little chipmunk trying to get in on the action.   A great radio with an MP3 docking station for my desk from my sweet husband. It's wonderful while I am working.  Lots of pink (my favorite) desk accessories from my sister N. already setting there and being used. And my sister L. really surprised me with a cake plate and four dessert plates.  She and I are so very different in our tastes, but she picked perfectly! (She was concerned that I wouldn't like it-can you believe it???)  She found the set at an antique mall.  It's Noritake.  Look for it on a future blog!

The edge is the prettiest green.  I don't have anything green so this opens up a whole realm of possibilities

The cake plate is beautiful and in perfect shape

The matching dessert plates are a nice large size and also in beautiful condition

It was such a wonderful birthday and I thank my entire family for making it so!!!

Now for the dish on the dishes:

• The china is "Old Country Roses"
• The silver is Reed and Barton "Rathmore" silverplate
• The vase is "Old Country Roses"
• The undercloth is from Linen's & Things ages ago
• I don't even know where I got the Quaker lace tablecloth but have had it for years
• The glasses are crystal from ebay
• Napkins are damask also from ebay
• The cake is on a pink pedestal from ebay
• The silver tea tray is an ebay purchase too...I have been looking for one for ages. (LOVE ebay!)

Thank you for coming by to share my birthday!!  Love to hear your comments.  Oh, and be sure to visit Susan at "Between Naps on the Porch" (her button is up on the right)

Tess